Saturday, May 19, 2018

The Stellar Jays (thanks, Rob) are back, along with a variety of smaller birds, and even a couple doves. Anyone know what this bird is? I did not notice any last year. And, what’s really cool, this year there are birds singing in the area. Don’t know why there were none last year. Maybe putting out birdseed as soon as I got here, has anything to do with it. It wasn’t until the fall last year when I thought of putting out birdseed. But still, I would have thought birds would be around.

This is a photo of a problem, however. One or two come by every day. I wonder what birdseed is going to cost me this year. The first time turkeys came through, it was a whole family. The evening before, I had put the pan on the steps, since it needed to be refilled. After a couple minutes, two stragglers came through and their path took them to where some scattered seed was still on the ground. I wonder if those two are the ones that keep coming back. It seems they did not share this feeding spot with the rest of the family. But really, come on, who has wild turkeys feeding out of their birdfeeder?
Granted, my birdfeeders are two enameled pans set on the ground. M&M are not into birds. They watch them, but they don’t stalk them. But I’m pretty sure there are no rodents around.
I had to purchase a hanging birdfeeder to make the seed last longer. I also picked up 50 pounds of cracked corn for the turkeys.

In the early 1900s, a German housewife invented a new coffee brewing process, the pour-over. It’s what I use. I had a French press when I first started with this lifestyle, but it took too much water to clean when I’m off-the-grid. So, Melitta Bentz, I’m most grateful.
Yet another example of SIGSimple Is Good.

After my pint of yerba mate each morning, I have a mug of coffee. Then I’m good for the day. Lately I’ve been adding eggshells to the coffee grounds. The shells are alkaline and are suppose to cut coffee’s bitterness and mellow out the flavor. I don’t know if it is just in my head, but my morning coffee seems to be less acidic and more flavorful. I’m stickin’ with eggshells.

This past winter, I was the most physically inactive than I’ve been in over 15 years. Maybe all the medical issues from the last year and a half finally caught up in my mind. Pretty much lost my gains from all the outside work last summer. When I got back to Timberon and started working on the land again, swinging the mattock and pick, shoveling dirt and gravel into the back of the Dodge, and raking it all out where I wanted it, started off real slow, not much strength or endurance. Payback time for sloughing off last winter. I thank the gods I have a strong enough mind to not adopt the standard senior mindset.
I’m looking forward to getting back in shape, giving thanks for this body that enables me to do so much.

I came out of the library on one of my town runs, and had a little surprise. It was as if a dark, mesh curtain had fallen over my left eye. I’ve been having flashes and pretty much constant floaters for a couple weeks. I know flashes mean get in touch with an eye doctor. I didn’t. It’s a guy thing. In a situation such as this, the word ‘guy’ is a synonym for ‘idiot.’ But the curtain seemed to have taken things up a notch. My eye clinic was only two blocks away so I walked over to see if a doctor could take a look. The next day I was driving three hours south to Southwest Retina Consultants in El Paso.

Okay, I’m thinkin’ laser pulses are going to be sent into the back of my eye to seal a tear around the retina. To prepare me, they put eye drops onto the front surface of my eye. Eye drops! Laser pulses and eye drops. How is this not gonna hurt?

I had both cataract surgeries done last summer, and the only prep given was eye drops. And there was no pain while the doctor pulverized my lens with ultrasound, flushed it out, and replaced it with an artificial lens. But that was pretty much on the surface.

Have you had this laser procedure done? Most of the pulses weren’t bad, no big thing, just exceedingly bright, but really, it’s a laser flashing into your eye, and most of the pulses caused no discomfort. But (sometimes this is not a good word), a good number of them were, Ahhhhh!! I’ve been through a number of unpleasant experiences, but I was SO relieved when this was procedure was over.

Pretty much another experience that I would have preferrednot to have experienced. Why do I find this humorous?
Anyway, then I just had to sit in my truck until I could see well enough to start the drive home.

As you know, a laser is a concentrated beam of light. Retinal lasers are designed to be able to pass through non-retinal tissue, the lens and cornea, without damaging them. How do they come up with stuff like this? The light energy of a thermal laser is absorbed by specific tissue at the back of the eye and is converted to heat. With the heat, wait for it, comes a burn. A burnin the eye! Why am I chuckling? The ophthalmologist makes a series of burns all around where the retina attaches to the back wall of the eye. Sort of like spot-welding, the retina is tacked down. The scarring that results seals the retina to the underlying tissue. If left untreated, fluid can leak through the tears and cause the retina to detach. No retina attachmentno sight.

My surgeon first used the microscope and lens system, somewhat like the one used to examine your eye. A special contact lens, a big sucker, is placed on your eye to hold your lids apart and focus the laser. For this you are sitting up in a chair with your chin on the support and your forehead against the pad. Familiar? But this time, you have a hand from a doctor’s assistant holding your head in place.
To reach the areas not quite accessible, the surgeon had to use an indirect delivery system consisting of a laser system mounted on his head. For this I was lying down.
Well, yet another informative entry.

I drove back down to El Paso three weeks later for a follow up. It looked good and will not have to go back until the end of July.

The last year and a half is all sounding like some kind of medical saga.

I wonder if this is the same doe who came up to the back window last summer. She has been coming around more often since I put out the cracked corn for the turkeys.

I was sitting in the Nash one evening reading, sipping a glass of red wine, and listening to Willie & Lobo’s album, Caliente, set on low. Typical evening, pretty mellow. At one point I put the Kindle down and looked over to watch M&M sitting out in the window cage. These two are so invaluable to this lifestyle. Then I just sat there for a bit looking out the back window and listening to the music. Through the trees in the gathering darkness, I could see the mountain I hike on, from time to time. I’m thinking, I like this. Having a small piece of land in the woods. I can do with it what I want, and it is always there to come back to. I like having a quiet base, along options for physical activity to help maintain my health. Life is good.

Monday, April 9, 2018

Back in 1950 (my birth year), Alfred Eisenstaedt, a Life magazine photographer, was covering the University of Michigan’s famous marching band. He noticed a drum major practicing his high steps over on a playing field, A small boy ran out after him and fell in step behind him. Other children then ran out and fell in line. Eisenstaedt ran after them and took this shot. This is one truly kick-butt joyous photo. Life’s director of photography called ‘Drum Major,’ an ‘ode to joy.’
I would guess that the director of photography enjoyed the fourth movement in Beethoven’s 9th.

I replaced the bland blinds in the Casita with Bali 1” aluminum light blocker ‘forest shadow’ blinds to add some color. In the Nash, I started with the galley blind. I’ll order two more later in the year.
Check out the two strips of painter’s tape that I put inside the light covers. The under-cabinet light shown too brightly into my eyes. The cabinet edge should have extended lower. The strip of painter tape works well at blocking the glare. Also, I found that I didn’t need all the available light so I removed the LED bulb from the light on the right.

Going up to Utah in February, put me back in the NMSPs in March as I headed south to Timberon. Not goodspring break. Heron Lake was fine, since there was snow on the ground and stayed cold, most nights I had the place to myself. I liked it.
On cold mornings, M&M either do not want to go out at 6:00 or only stay out for a half hour before wanting to come back in. The day I planned to leave however, Meadow stayed out. I then followed her around trying to snag her. No go. Stayed another day and she was not allowed out in the morning.

Two of the other parks I stayed at were pretty full and at one, I took the last primitive site. I was told all the electric sites at the other cg were taken. I stayed a couple days at Oliver Lee since I had an appointment to have the Nash’s electric brakes fixed.
If one does the NMSPs in the winters, it’s common to come across acquaintances in different parks. I like this aspect. I crossed paths again with the three ladies I first met at Oliver Lee. Always brought smiles. Also, I was really surprised to come across Ric and Linda again. I had thought they would have been back in Massachusetts by now. If their house sells this summer, I might see them in the fall. That would be cool.

The electric brakes have not been working for a while. After being billed $500, they still did not work. Pretty much just for labor, pulling off all four wheels to check the brakes but at least the hubs were lubed. The brakes on the Nash are no longer being made and parts are not available. At some point I will have them converted to the current wider brakes. Unfortunately, this will entail wider drums to the tune of $1,700 for parts and labor. Guano.

I knew about tires developing flat spots when parked for too long. I guess I kinda thought that after the tires have been driven on for awhile, the flat spots would smooth out or it would just be a rough ride. Yet another dumb assumption. If fact, they delaminate. If one looks across the tread, one can see a high spot; delamination forms a bubble a few inches long. So, three new tires. Bummer.

During the summer, I’ll hook up and pull the Nash forward a ways, back it up and park, making sure the tires will be positioned 90-180 degrees from where they were. Have not found anything on the web stating that this might be enough. It would be way too much trouble to take the Nash out on the road for a spin.

From time to time, I listen to an audio book while out walking. I was listening to Michael Palmer’s ‘Resistant,’ when I heard a term I’m quite familiar with. On the last page of chapter 4, three doctors are visiting with the head of the Antibiotic Resistance Unit at the CDC. Remember this is just a novel. One of the doctors said, “You’ve shown us a number of frightening bacteria, is there one species of bacteria that you are most terrified of contracting?” “That’s easy,” came the response. “Streptococcus Pyogenes, cause of the condition known as necrotizing fasciitis. To be eaten alive from the inside out. To go from one limb amputation to another. Would far and away be the worse death imaginable.”
Oh yeah, still got most of my arm!!! Life is good.

On one long hill on the road from Cloudcroft to Timberon, I had to put the Ram down into D1 for over a mile. Certainly did not have to do this last spring; then I stayed in Drive. I took the truck to a shop down in Alamogordo to have them do something about the lack of power. The mechanic could not find anything wrong. But there definitely is something wrong so I’ll be making an appointment with the Dodge dealer. Bummer.
After this, I would really like to have no more unexpected, substantial expenses for quite some time. Enough already.

Last summer when trying to get up the access road to my property, I had a bit of a setback. At one point I wanted to get whatever running start I could and backed up too far. Both back wheels of the Nash ended up hanging free over a slope. The truck could not pull the Nash forward. When I first walked back to look at the wheels, I was not all that hopeful. It certainly did not look good. Granted, I was extremely tired by then from working on the road and way past my last meal. But still. Luckily, after the wheels were supported and I dug out the slope in front of them, the Ram was able to go forward. So far, I think that was the dumbest thing I’ve done so far with the Nash.

I had a flash of a scene from the 1954 movie, ‘The Long Long Trailer,’ with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz playing newlyweds.

Well, I got back to Timberon last month. In one way, I was disappointed. Remember, one of the reasons I purchased this lot was because it was pretty much at the end of a dead end road. There was a berm across it and the last 150 yards or so was not graded. Now the road in front of my lot looks like this. For some reason, they graded the rest of the road over the winter. With what’s in this area, it does not seem to have any purpose. Guano.
Also, the furnace has not worked since I got here. The igniter doesn’t click. I hope I can find out how to fix it; maybe there is a youtube video.

Other than that, it felt really good to be back. The clear air is so refreshing after months down in the valleys.

A recent study has found that women who carry a little extra weight live longer than the men who mention it.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

With all the light-weight trailers out there now, I went back to the November 2006 page, “choosing a rig,” and added my thoughts on these rigs. Might have touched on issues that could be missed.

Noah Smith, PHD and economist, stated that economists who study happiness have begun to entertain the notion that perhaps what matters isn’t the degree to which people get what they want but how much they like what they get. Good emotions may be more important than satiation of desires. I like that.

I missed staying in the parks last winter, and this winter I was somewhat bummed with the increased numbers of RVers. But it jives with the increase in RV sales. Guano. The last few years I noticed the increase of women RVers. That, at least, is good. This winter I met five whom I enjoyed talking with. Sure beats talking with the scruffy, old fat guys that inhabit the parks.

At one spot where I exchanged some paperbacks, I looked through a stack of magazines that were up for grabs. There was one I was not familiar with, RVW, for women who love to RV (www.rvingwomen.org). Their mission statement reads: “Provide women RVers, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or financial status, a supportive network and the opportunity to enjoy the RVing lifestyle in a safe and knowledgeable manner.” The organization had been around for 25 years and this is the first I’ve heard of it. I am so out of touch.
The organization holds national and chapter events offering classes on safe driving practices and RV maintenance.
“Wherever you go, RVing Women connects you to members who are interested in RVing and who can offer information, suggest places to see and things to do, and provide assistance when needed.”
Might prove beneficial. No matter how much one researches prior to full-timing, the first year is quite a learning curve. A prime period for having a sense of humor.

I stopped at my 5x8 cargo trailer for my annual visit. I cleared out more things and took them over to the local thrift shop. Also, I had purchased a set of stacking jacks and put one under each corner of the cargo trailer. Why do I feel the jacks will not be there when I get back next year?

I went off into the Apache National Forest northeast of Luna, NM on the way up to Utah. Within minutes, Mesa was walking up that log.

“In the foggy, desolate hillsides outside Lima, Peru, water for drinking and irrigation is a luxury. The area’s 1.5 centimeters of annual rainfall barely helps, and buying water isn’t an option for residents of this poverty-stricken region. Surprisingly, a piece of mesh hang vertically between two poles is an idea that holds water, literally. Invented by the Meteorological Service of Canada, the so-called fog fences capture water droplets in fog, and they trickle into a collection trough and drain into buckets or tanks. During the nine foggiest months of the year, the community of Bellavista (pop. 200) can harvest 75 gallons of water every night using five large fog fences. ‘These fog nets have improved our quality of life’, says a resident. ‘We can grow vegetables for our families.’ Fog fences are also helping irrigate arid regions in other parts of South America and in Africa. Recently, researchers from the Netherlands and China developed an absorbent fabric that may help fog fences collect even more water.”

I love hearing about stuff like this. A simple, helpful ideaway to go.

It felt good to be up in Utah again and visiting with friends. Don’t think I’ll be coming back until I start going north for summers. That won’t be until I can find a mechanic who can fix my truck’s lose of power. It just doesn’t have what it used to. The truck had to be down in D2 for many of the miles up rt.191. Guano. It’s either that or buy a newer vehicle with more umph.

It was cold out in the high desert. No water, so I had to truck it back from Moab in the 5-gal buckets. And yes, I left room for expansion and had no problem. One day I took the water-tight lid off one and the water was skimmed over. I broke through and pulled the ice out. Pretty cool. Now I know how water starts to freeze in a bucket. Maybe it will be a trivia question. Anyway, I placed the ice on a rock that afternoon, and did not get around to taking a photo until the following afternoon. Like I said, it was cold. The Olympian Wave catalytic heater is priceless for this lifestyle. Still don’t use heat during the night.

The coldest inside temp so far was 34. Beat it here.

If you hear someone say, They just love the smell of books, don’t you want to pull them aside and ask, To be clear, do you know how reading works?

Mind how you go.

If you want one thing too muchit's likely to be a disappointment.The healthy wayis to learn to like the everyday things.I forget where I saw this.

Thursday, February 1, 2018

I went back to the July 2006 page (Table of Contents) and added some of my favorite photos from this lifestyle. There are so many more. Might be worth a look.

When I had the Casita, Onyx stood up at the screen door twice, pulled down the handle and walked out. Not good, if we were in the winter state parks. Up in the mountains, off the grid, it’s generally okay.
Wish I thought of this, then. Recently I picked up a sash lock at Lowe’s and instead of using it on a window, I screwed it onto the screen doorframe with 1” sheet metal screws. Didn’t even have to use the other part. A good, quick screendoor lock.

If there is a next time for getting a flat on the Nash, I will try something else. The hydraulic jack needed to be put on a stack of wood since it did not have enough range of motion. Not the safest arrangement. Next time I’ll build a ramp with my wheel blocks for the other wheel on that side and drive the good tire up onto it. It should have the flat tire hanging just off the ground. A few years ago, I read about someone doing it successfully. We’ll see.

You might have come across these two sites. They are worth visiting. I watch a film clip from time to time.

The title of this photo was called, ‘visit the farm.’ This boy has got to go into acting.

The inside of my windshield had a greasy film on it that Windex was not cleaning off, even after three cleanings. The film makes its appearance, over time, from the fumes of the petroleum-base plastic dash. Isopropyl alcohol on a microfiber towel eliminates the greasy film. Be sure to keep turning the towel over to a fresh section so one is not just smearing the film around. Then use your favorite window cleaner.
There is another good use for isopropyl alcohol and thankfully, I only had to use it twice this winter. One can go to the travel-size section in the Pharmacy area in a Walmart, and pick up a small spray bottle. Mix 2 parts alcohol with one part water and keep it in your car (it won’t freeze). If there is a frost on your windshield, spray it and wipe the slush off. Beats scraping or wasting gas and polluting the air.

It doesn’t take all that much to entertain me and I do so enjoy watching people having fun. Don’t know if you have similar tastes as me, but you might want to go to youtube.com and type in ‘flash mob,’ Some of those staged, public, musical performances are a hoot.
As you know, once a year I place a number of orders on the web and have the packages sent to a friend in Moab. Each year I purchase at least two dance movie DVDs. ‘Step Up Revolution’ (possibly my favorite in the Step Up series), is about a group of dancers trying to stop a developer from tearing down their neighborhood. Anyway, what got me off on this tangent is they do a number of these public performances. The first one with cars is kinda unreal. And the one they perform in an art gallery is extremely well done (in my most humble opinion).

This winter in the NM state parks has been okay, not one of my best, but okay. Met some new interesting people, which I always enjoy, and remember, these are the months for my social-fix. One more week in the parks, then I start meandering up to Moab. Only five weeks with an electric hookup this winter. That’ll probably do it until December.

I recently read something from William Rawlins, PHD and a professor of communications. He found three expectations, from a good number of people, describing and valuing a close friend: somebody to talk to, someone to depend on, and someone to enjoy. I’ve heard and read of other values in regard to friends, but these are along my way of looking at friends, and I am so thankful that I’ve got some.

Yep, another mishmash page. But I do tend to throw one in from time to time.

Mind how you go.

“The person, be it a gentleman or a lady,
who has not pleasure in a good novel,must be intolerably stupid.”
Jane Austen, novelist (I like this lady.)

Thursday, January 4, 2018

I went through images on my Canon and found a useable one of the bobcat peaking out from behind the prickly pear, so you can go back to the November page to see it.

I downloaded the NM Wildflower app to my iPod. It’s a treat when I’m out hiking or while out walking Meadow and Mesa. The pace with these two gives me plenty of time to look up plants. I like free, useful free items.

This month I have a birthday, and as always, it is my most meaningful day of the year to give thanks for all that the previous year has brought me and for being able to cope with problems that came my way.
I plan to go back and read ‘here’s a little story.’ It feels so good to not yet be ashes in an urn.

I noticed this one day while at Bottomless Lakes NMSP. Guano. But it gave me an opportunity to use the 2-ton hydraulic jack I’ve been hauling around in case this happened. I tried plugging the hole but did not have the strength to even get the rasp into the hole.

Here’s another document from my ‘thoughts and notes’ folder.

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day On the fly?
When you ask "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time to call and say "Hi"?
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over

Not bad, worth a little reflecting.

Here is a view out the back window of a dusting of snow on the desert.

As some of you know, I like to listen to SiriusXM ‘The Coffee House’ (channel 14) as I drink my morning coffee and yerba mate. The week before the 25th, all the music was Christmas music. While searching for another channel to listen to, I came across channel 48, Heart & Soul, “R&B for today, and back in the day.” Sure filled the gap.

As soon as the nurse made me put on one of those gowns, I knew my end was in sight.

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

The Statue of Liberty was a beacon of feminism right from the get-go. I mean, it is a big woman, out on an island. And as typical mankind would have it, women were banned from the statue’s dedication. If ‘humankind’ were the norm, stuff like this would not occur. On that day, the ladies chartered a boat and held their own ceremony out on the water. They loudly proclaimed the hypocrisy of men “erecting a Statue of Liberty embodied as a woman in a land where no woman has political liberty.”
One just has to admire all the women who fought so hard and for so long to get the rights they should have had right from the get-go. How can we still not give women equal rights, across the world, across the board? And men still do not understand why so many women think we’re idiots.

When I lived in Lake Placid, NY, some friends and I took a road trip to visit the L.L. Bean store in Freeport, Maine. It is a classic trip for any New England or touring camper. Presently, just behind Acadia National Park, the flagship store is the next most popular visitor attraction in Maine. Unreal, it’s only a store. But an absolutely awesome store. The company was started by Leon Leonwood Bean in 1912 and it sold only one product, the Main Hunting Shoe, now known as the L.L. Bean Duck Boot. The boot has a rubber bottom and lightweight leather uppers. I had a similar pair of boots, Sorel. Duck boots are priceless for the mud and snow; wore mine out.
The store covers 220,000 square feet and there are two other stores nearby that showcase what doesn’t fit in the main store. I should make a trip back; there was only the one store when I visited. If in the area, a visit is a must. I wonder if college kids still prefer the middle-of-the-night visit. The store is open has been open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year since 1951.
In Lake Placid, there was an EMS store (Eastern Mountain Sports); another awesome store. Maybe the east’s equivalent to REI. EMS was the first true camping/outdoor gear store that I was ever in. It blew me away; I was all smiles. I later visited their store in Boston, and I was just as happy.

This guy’s wife does not play golf but one day she decided to ride in the cart while he shot a round. He teed off on a par 3 and breathlessly watched as the ball rolled into the hole. The guy was ecstaticdancing around and whooping.
His wife, not so much. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?”

The wines I enjoy most come in bottles. I also get box wines on occasion, such as Black Box and one type of Bota Box. Last month I picked up a Box Wize just because I got a smile out of some of the text on the box.
Hand over the wine and nobody gets hurt. And
Don’t cry over spilled milk. It could have been wine.

I rarely use my Honda 1000 generator but there are times when it is needed. I start it up and let it run for half an hour every month or so to keep it healthy. The generator never crossed my mind last fall, so when I went to start it last summer, it was all gummed up. When I took it in for service, I was told about canned gas. Never heard of it. It does not have ethanol and whatnot of gas-pump gas and is made for long-term storage. It is more expensive but a quart will last me for months, maybe even a year, and it is what I will be using from now on.
Even with all the cutting I did last summer with the Stihl chainsaw, I used less that a gallon of mix. So after I had it serviced, all I will be using is 2-stroke 50:1 canned mix. Am I the last person to learn about canned gas?

This would have been a most memorable New Year.
At the stroke of midnight, on December 31, 1899, the SS Warrimoo was on the spot where the equator meets the International Date Line. Think about it. The forward half of the ship entered January 1, 1900, while the aft end remained in December 31, 1899. Simultaneously inhabiting two hemispheres on two days in two centuries. Guess that tops Four Corners.

Thursday, November 30, 2017

I was not sure if I had dug out the slope enough and extended a backup area to 3-point turn the Nash around so I could get in position to drive down the access road (I didn’t). I decided to hook up the Nash and turn it around a few days before I thought I would be pulling out, just in case there was a problem. There was. I spent a couple hours doing more digging and cutting down four small trees that I really wanted to keep. Guano. Sure glad I didn’t wait until moving day.

Meadow and Mesa seem to prefer this orientation. Generally, the view outside the back window looks into the distance. With it all in so close here, M&M spend much more time on the table looking out. One afternoon this doe came in close to the window. Pretty cool.

This little spot is a favorite place for both M&M to chill out.
Whenever I was going to do some work around the property, I made sure Meadow and Mesa were outside. They followed me around and got familiar with the land. When I’m with them, they seem to explore more freely.
We spent too much time in our last spot so M&M were real ready for new territory on our daily walks.

I think it was during the last week in October while still up in Timberon. One morning I got up and this was the inside temp. No big deal. The Wave 6 warmed things up quickly.

Just out of curiosity, I figured out what percentage of my social security is being spent on medical insurance. I pay for Medicare Part B, Cigna supplement insurance, and Humana for prescription drugs. They add up to 28% of my SS. I’m not grousing about it. All my medical expenses last year were paid. It would be nice, however, if it was a smaller percentage. And it sure would be if most people took responsibility for their health. Why should those of us that do, have to carry all those that don’t?

As I’ve said in the past, some months I’m scrambling for something to write about. The last few months have been different. Back in July, I pretty much had the August, September and October pages roughed out. I closed on the lot back on August 7. I just needed photos and added in various stuff that came up. I’m guessing my winter pages will be short. And I sure hope they are nothing like last year’s.

Just about every morning when I get up, Meadow and Mesa go over and stand by the door, wanting to go out. They don’t generally stay out for long. After they came back in one morning, Mesa went out into the window cage and Meadow was on my lap while I was reading. Mesa tensed up and went on point. Meadow noticed and got up to look out the back window to see what had Mesa’s interest. There was a young bobcat, not 25 feet away. It was stalking something. I went to get my Canon but it had gone behind a large clump of prickly pear so I could not get a whole-body photo. I could see its butt and the swishing distinct bobcat tail. I’ve never had a domestic cat who swished its tail as rapidly as this bobcat. I wonder if that is why they have a short tail. If they had a long tail, there’s no way prey would not notice.

During my 2-week stay at Oliver Lee this month, I racked up 21 miles along the Dog Canyon trail. Not my usual 50-60 miles but, as you can imagine, I’m still working on building back strength and stamina. I then left for a week and came back for a few days, and my pace was a bit better. I’m looking forward to what I’ll be able to do when I stay there again in January.
The first couple hikes, I only went to the 1-mile marker before turning around. Then a few days turning at the 1.5-mile marker. The last days, I managed to get to the 2-mile marker and what got me excited, was getting to the 2-mile marker in the same time that I was earlier only getting to the 1.5 mile marker. I was way more stoked with the increase in speed than I was with the increase in mileage. Definitely making progress.
On one hike, I came across a hiker who commented on my Transplant Survivor shirt. He mentioned he had quadruple bypass surgery. That’s totally awesome. I love hearing how someone gets through an ordeal, starts exercising, and gets back to physical activities. So many just throw in the towel to some extent. I made a point of telling this person how much I thought of all his hard work to get back into the outdoors. Sure wish I came across more people like this.

I had a nice surprise one day at Oliver Lee. I was in the Nash and someone knocked on the door. It was Rick and Linda from Massachusetts, who I’ve written about on previous pages. I think it has been three years since we crossed paths. I like these people. They drove cross country pulling their Nash and stopping at 7 Harvest Hosts (harvesthosts.com) sites along the way. It was great to see them again and to catch up a bit. One day they hiked all the way up Dog Canyon, a ten mile round trip. Way to go.
Linda started a new blog: lookingfornowhere.wordpress.com Check it out.

The week I came back to Oliver Lee, I met Pickett. She has an informative site about her lifestyle, truckcamperhints.com. I thoroughly enjoyed our talks. I also met a lady from Maryland who was quite interesting and I wish her well. Hope to cross paths with these people again.

I hooked up and pulled out of Oliver Lee, only to turn around and set up the Nash again. Brake problems. Took the Dodge to a mechanic and had a bill of $2300 after all the problems were taken care of. Took six days. Missed my first week at Bottomless. Guano.